Beauty and the Beast
by kryscrossed
Summary: One shot. To be read 2nd. Centers around Spot. Quick bit of romantic fluff.


**Beauty and the Beast**

"_Tale as old as time,  
True as it can be.  
Barely even friends,  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly."_

_Disney's Beauty and the Beast_

Danielle smiled over at her friends, Emily and Racetrack, as the trio crossed the bridge to Brooklyn together, her strawberry blonde hair swinging out behind her. Ever since Emily had recovered from her fight with cancer, the two had been inseparable. They had invited her to tag along with them, as they went to visit friends in Brooklyn. Danielle had been quick to agree, ready to get away from her job at the milliner's shop, sewing the tiny flowers and ribbons onto hats had begun to make her eyes ache.

She listened to her friends' happy chatter, her ever ready smile lighting up her face. She glanced around and found them at the Brooklyn docks. The smile dropped from her face as the infamous Spot Conlon saw them, and pushed himself away from the support beam he had been leaning against.

"Well, well," He said smirking, "What do we have here?"

Danielle glowered angrily, shooting a look at Emily, who was doing her best to look innocent. She vowed to herself that she would get even with those two for setting her up like this. They knew how she felt about Spot. He was arrogant, and obnoxious, and thought the world revolved around him.

"Spot." She said acknowledging him with a nod of her head.

"Ah, the lovely Danielle, so nice of you to pay me a visit."

"Ugh!" She said disgusted, as he attempted to kiss her hand.

Spot laughed as she snatched her hand away, "Aren't we touchy?"

Danielle rolled her eyes, and went to stand a few feet away with her back turned, to wait for her friends to finish they're fraternization with someone she saw as the ultimate enemy. She smiled in spite of herself at her overdramatic thoughts.

A few moments later Spot came to stand beside her. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, and moved away from him. Spot reached out and caught her arm, "Oh come on now, you're not mad are you?" He asked smirking at her. She jerked her arm away a little to hard and forcefully slammed it against the brick wall of the Wharf House. She cried out in pain, as her knuckles met the hard wall. Blinking back the tears that sprang to her eyes, she pulled her hand to her stomach and cradled it as blood pooled slowly in the shallow cuts now decorating her fist.

"Hey are you alright?" Spot asked, all traces of sarcasm dropping from his voice.

Danielle looked over at him, expecting some snide remark to follow, and was amazed to see genuine concern on his face.

"I know that hurt… I've punched a few walls in my time," He said pulling her hand towards him and looking at the small wounds as a small line of blood trickled towards her wrist. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, glancing up at her face when she tried to pull her hand back. "Don't worry, it's clean. I promise." He said some of his old sarcasm sneaking back into his voice. She allowed him to wrap her hand in the white handkerchief, surprised at his gentle touch. "There," He said, tying a knot in the linen.

Danielle cleared her throught, "Um. Thanks, that was- really nice of you."

Spots voice turned gruff as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah well, wouldn't want you to bleed on that white shirt. I'd be hearing about a Brooklyn wall ruining your hand and your shirt forever."

Danielle rolled her eyes, obviously, that glimmer of concern had just been a mistake.

By this time Emily and Race had made their way over, "Danielle!" Emily exclaimed, seeing the rough bandage, that was beginning to stain red.

"It's nothing, just banged my hand on the wall." She said searching Spot's face one last time. "C'mon, we'd better go if we want to get back before sunset." Danielle turned back to Spot again, "Thanks again," She said holding up the injured hand to him. "I'll get this back to you."

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Danielle walked back to Manhatten, again letting Race and Emily do most of the talking. She was lost in thought over what happened back in Brooklyn. Maybe she had judged Spot to soon. He was certainly no angel, but he had seemed genuinely concerned about her hand.

"Hey, Dani, are you sure you're hand's ok? I mean, we can ask Kloppman to look at it, if you want." Racetrack said as they reached the lodging house.

"No, it's nothing, really. Just a few cuts is all."

He shrugged, "Alright then, night, ladies." Race kissed Emily a quick goodbye before disappearing into the lodging house.

Danielle and Emily made their way back to the boarding house they both lived at.

"So," Emily said, clearing her throat, "What was all that going on between you and Spot?"

Danielle looked at her sharply, "What do you mean? Nothing was going on with me and Spot, I cut my hand, he offered me his handkerchief, end of story…" Danielle looked warily at her friend, "Don't you get any ideas now. Nothing is going to come of this."

Emily gave her an innocent look, "Ok, Ok, I'll drop it." They reached the boarding house, and trudged tiredly up the stairs, Emily stopped outside, and grinned wickedly at her friend, "Spot's right you know, you are touchy." She laughed as she ducked into the safety of her room.

Danielle stuck her tongue out at the closed door before moving on to her own, filled with thoughts of Spot.**  
**

She had washed the handkerchief out that night, ridding it of all hints of her blood, till it shone white again. Carefully she had folded it and placed it on her small dresser, where it sat for a week before she picked it up again. She placed it in her skirt pocket, and went to knock on Emily's door.

"Hey," Emily said, opening her door, and stepping back to let her in.

"Hey," Danielle smiled, "Look, I'm going over to Brooklyn to give Spot back his handkerchief. Do you want to come?"

Emily's eyebrows shot up at the idea of Danielle willingly going to see Brooklyn's leader.

Danielle looked at her sternly, holding up a hand to stop the girls coming question, "Not a word, Em. I'm just returning the handkerchief."

Emily held her hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok, geeze."

The two made their way over to Brooklyn, chatting easily with each other. When they reached the docks, Emily waved a greeting to Spot, before turning away.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" Danielle asked her friend.

"Alice is here. I'm gonna go say hi." Emily explained winking.

Before Danielle could think of a response, Emily was gone, and Spot was sauntering up.

"Back so soon?" He asked smirking.

**  
.   
**

Emily glared at him, before sighing in resignation. She forced a smile, and pulled the handkerchief out of her pocket. "Here, I brought this back for you. I cleaned it and all, you don't gotta worry about it being bloody or anything."

"Oh," He said looking at the outstretched peace offering. "I said you didn't have to ya know. But uh, thanks." He reached out and took the handkerchief and shoved it in his pocket

"You're welcome."

They stood awkwardly for a moment. Before they both began to speak at the same time.

"Look I-"

"You know I-"

They laughed at themselves, breaking the awkward moment.

"You go first." Spot said.

"No, it's ok, what were you going to say?"

"I just wanted to- uh- apologize," He looked to be really struggling with the words, Danielle could tell he didn't use them often. She cut him off, hoping to end his uneasiness.

"Don't worry about it."

"No, I can be a real jerk sometimes. I know I can, it just comes with the territory. I know you've never liked me, and I don't blame ya. I've never been anything but sarcastic wit' ya."

Danielle smiled at him, "It's ok, I haven't exactly been the nicest to you."

Danielle and Spot talked for hours, after the apologies, and found surprisingly enough, they had a lot in common. Danielle had to practically be dragged away from him by Emily, so they could get back to Manhatten before it got dark.

"You know," She said thoughtfully to Emily on the walk home, "He's kinda sweet, if you can get past the rough exterior."

"Spot? Sweet?" Emily felt Danielle's forehead jokingly, "Dani, you feeling alright? You just used the words Spot and sweet in the same sentence."

"Ha, ha.," She said drily, "No, I really mean it. He is."

Emily grinned knowingly, "If you say so."

"Hey, Dani." Spot said, looking over at her from where he sat leaning against the same brick wall she had hurt her hand on several months earlier.

"Yeah?" She asked looking back at him.

"If you ain't to busy or nothin', if maybe you wanna go get dinner or something later."

"You mean, like a date?"

"Yeah… Like a date." He looked over at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge her reaction to the question.

Danielle grinned over at him, "I think I'd really like that Spot."


End file.
